Christians are called to represent Christ every day. What we say, the things we hope for, the way that we treat others, our love of the truth - these are to make the invisible Christ a knowable Presence. Paul calls us ‘ambassadors.’ It is a high calling, isn’t it? The message of God’s love, of meaning for life, entrusted to us, we hope for others to join us in faith, accepting the grace of God and the promise of ‘life to the full’ that we know in Him. But, it does not always work out that way. Sometimes we are met with a shrug, a ‘so what’ attitude. Sometimes the Good News of Jesus provokes outright hostility.
What then? Moses is a great example of persistent and authentic faith!
In the grand story of Israel’s deliverance told in Exodus there are a lot of detours and disappointments! In chapter 5, we read of Moses’ first encounter with the Pharoah after being sent by God back to Egypt. "After this presentation to Israel’s leaders, Moses and Aaron went to see Pharaoh. They told him, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go, for they must go out into the wilderness to hold a religious festival in my honor.’ ” “Is that so?” retorted Pharaoh. “And who is the Lord that I should listen to him and let Israel go? I don’t know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go.” (Exodus 5:1-2, NLT) I wonder how those men left the palace?
But it gets worse
for them! They press on and the
hostility of Pharaoh increases. He dramatically
increases the workload of the Israelite slaves, demanding that they not only continue
to produce their quota of bricks for his building projects, but that they now
gather their own straw that was used in the process. "The slave drivers were brutal. “Meet your
daily quota of bricks, just as you did before!” they demanded. Then they
whipped the Israelite foremen in charge of the work crews. “Why haven’t you met
your quotas either yesterday or today?” they demanded." (Exodus
5:13-14, NLT)
Life gets worse for Moses and Aaron, too! "Since Pharaoh would not let up on his demands, the Israelite foremen could see that they were in serious trouble. As they left Pharaoh’s court, they met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting outside for them. The foremen said to them, “May the Lord judge you for getting us into this terrible situation with Pharaoh and his officials. You have given them an excuse to kill us!” (Exodus 5:19-21, NLT)
That is a mess of missed
expectations and dashed hopes, isn’t it?
They did what God asked, to the best of their ability, and things only
got worse. Has this ever happened to
you? I wonder if some part of Moses wondered
if it would be better to return to Midian and the simple life of tending sheep?
Here is what we learn. "So Moses
went back to the Lord and protested, “Why have you mistreated your
own people like this, Lord? Why did you send me? Since I gave Pharaoh your
message, he has been even more brutal to your people. You have not even begun
to rescue them!” (Exodus 5:22-23, NLT) His choice is to go back to God and pray a
most authentic prayer!
Paul, inspired by the Spirit, tells us to always remain steady in our work of representing Christ, when we are met with apathy, when hostility comes our way. How? "I thank my God every time I remember you. … being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:3,6 NIV) Do you notice where Paul focuses his confidence? Go back, read it again. Yes, he is confident in God’s ability, not his own. Are you?
The work of God is NOT about you or me. When we meet hostility
in our efforts we must remember that the conflict not with us but with God, the
Spirit. We need to keep our focus on the right Person! "We
do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects
our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding
its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of
all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary
and give up." (Hebrews 12:2-4, NLT) We are to be faithful, the results of our
serving are in the hands of God. That’s
much easier said than done. Remember, we
cannot control the response of others to the truth of God’s Gospel. The Spirit
asks only that we trust Him and make the ‘most of every opportunity’ to
share His life and love.
Here’s a promise Jesus made. It is not for wonderful and
easy days, but for His continuing Presence in us. “Everyone will be at your throat because
you carry my Name. You’re placed there as sentinels to truth. The Message has
to be preached all across the world. “When they bring you, betrayed, into court,
don’t worry about what you’ll say. When the time comes, say what’s on your
heart—the Holy Spirit will make his witness in and through you.” (Mark 13:9-11, The Message) Let’s do it!
(Video of
this blog at this link)
____________________
When all I see is the battle
You see my victory
When all I see is a mountain
You see a mountain moved
And as I walk through the shadow
Your love surrounds me
There's nothing to fear now
For I am safe with You
So when I fight I'll fight on my knees
With my hands lifted high
O God the battle belongs to You
And every fear I lay at Your feet
I'll sing through the night
O God the battle belongs to You
And if You are for me
Who can be against me
For Jesus there's nothing
Impossible for You
When all I see are the ashes
You see the beauty
When all I see is a cross
God You see the empty tomb
(An) Almighty Fortress You go before us
Nothing can stand against
The power of our God
You shine in the shadows
You win every battle
Nothing can stand against
The power of our God
O God the battle belongs to You
Brian Johnson | Phil Wickham
Phil Wickham Music; Simply Global Songs; Bethel Music Publishing
CCLI License # 810055
